This invention relates to the field of educational kits for use in classrooms, hospital laboratories or similar facilities. In particular, this invention discloses a three-dimensional Fungal Spore Kit or Bacteria kit which display the shapes, colors, and other characteristics of typical fungal spores or bacteria for educational purposes.
Many biological organisms trigger allergic reactions, respiratory difficulties, and some types of asthma. Some molds release mycotoxins and metabolites that may cause respiratory or thermal discomfort. These spores are the reproductive units of fungi and their elimination has become a matter of some importance in today's world.
Fungal spores are typically collected by an air-sampling mechanism. The air sampling technique operates on the principle of inertial impaction. Particles in the airstream are drawn through a slit of an air-sampling apparatus and directed to a sticky surface at a flow rate of approximately 10 to 15 liters per minute. The particles (mold spores in this case) become lodged onto the adhesive surface of the glass slide. The sample is stained, magnified 1,000 times and analyzed for the presence of fungal spores with a microscope. The microscopist often relies upon spore morphology to identify them to the genus level. Some genera are grouped together because they cannot be identified based on their microscopical morphology alone. The difficult-to-identify fungi and unremarkable fungi require a more time consuming and definitive culture technique.
In regard to the various types of fungi and their environments, it would be helpful to know the definition of certain terms. A fungus is any of a large group of Thallophytes (a subkingdom without clear distinction of roots, stems or leaves and not producing flowers or seeds), and includes molds, mildews, mushrooms, rusts and smuts which are parasites on living organisms or feed on dead organic materials. Fungi lack chlorophyll and will reproduce through means of spores.
A mold is any of the various fungal growths which degrade organic matter. Mildew is a superficial coating or discoloring of organic materials such as cloth, leather, vapor, paint and etc., that is caused by fungal metabolic activities. Mildew usually occurs in damp conditions.
The identification of these fungi is of critical importance to the environmental well-being and healthy condition of the air and surroundings of humans. While there are textbooks which depict the shapes and colors of various fungi, none of the books in the prior art make available to the microscopist or student a three-dimensional depiction of the various fungi along with the color shading and other identifying characteristics.
Since it is often important to distinguish between the various fungi in order to eradicate or deal with their presence, it would be most helpful to have a three-dimensional kit or set of three-dimensional, full-color fungi which may be used both as a learning tool in an educational setting and as a comparative tool in a professional, microscopic identification process. It is an object of this invention to provide a number of kits which include three-dimensional full-color depictions of typical fungal molds or bacteria encountered in the human environment. While this invention is not intended to replace traditional reference sources, it is a further object of this invention to provide a quite useful tool to aid in the identification of fungi by means of three-dimensional, full-color reference sources.
It is a still further object of this invention to augment traditional reference materials such as books and slides by allowing one to study the spores through visual and tactile senses by observing and touching actual three-dimensional, full-color depictions of these spores.
It is a further object of this invention to provide three-dimensional models as examples of a few of the mold spores that are commonly found in the air, or of typical bacteria.
Bacteria are also studied in high schools, colleges and universities. Bacteria are important in that they are often associated with food consumed by humans. These bacteria include five common food-borne pathogens (Listeria, Campylobacter, Staphylococcus, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella). These food-borne pathogens can be deadly, as evidenced by the Salmonella incidents in the United States in the recent past.
A bacterium is classified into one of several categories by a differential staining method devised by Christian Gram in 1884. Gram's method allows one to distinguish between various bacteria which may exhibit similar morphology. The microorganisms present can be grouped Gram Positive (stain purple/blue) and Gram Negative (stain red) according to their reactions. The Gram Stain technique is an important diagnostic tool in subsequent identification procedures.
Many bacteria retain the violet iodine combination and stain purple (often appearing blue under the microscope). The walls of Gram Positive bacteria retain the purple/blue stain. The Gram Negative bacteria cannot retain the purple/blue stain. Instead the walls of Gram Negative bacteria show the red color caused by the remaining Safranin stain.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide a bacteria kit which includes the common food-borne pathogens and which aids in the identification of these bacteria in a manner similar to the fungal spore kit described above.
Other and further objects of this invention will become apparent upon reading the below described Specification and Claims.